A facile and large-scale synthesis of a PVA/chitosan/collagen hydrogel for wound healing

Delayed wound healing caused by a lack of antibacterial properties and bioactivity limits the application of PVA hydrogel as a wound dressing. To break through these barriers, we developed a novel ternary hydrogel system composed of PVA, chitosan (Cs), and collagen (Col) through a facile physical cross-linking method. Based on the reasonable design and experimental verification, the synthesized PVA/Cs/Col hydrogel showed high mechanical strength, excellent antibacterial properties, and good biocompatibility. More importantly, it could effectively repair wound defects in a rat wound defect model 14 days after the operation, and the wound healing rate could reach 98.8%, which was far higher than those of other groups. Meanwhile, the healing wound tissue presented a continuous and thickened epidermis and more hair follicle structures appeared as confirmed by histological staining, further verifying its excellent repair effects on wound defects. Therefore, the facile and large-scale synthesis, low cost, and excellent repairability of the hydrogel imply its application potential in wound repair.